"How did they know that he called you, your phone is not in your name. Did he snitch?"
"My lawyer doesn't think so, doesn't mean that he won't say something later, but right now, I'm ok."
Jada said, "Why does he think you're okay?"
"Well they let me go; he said if they had anything, they wouldn't have let me go."
"But I don't get it? How did they know that he was calling your phone?
"Because the dumb motherfucker had my name in his phone."
"Your full name?"
"Yeah, there was two Shamari's in his phone, and I was the one where he used the last name. Feds pulled my credit report and this is how they got me."
"What did you tell them? How did you get out?"
"I told them that I'd spoken with Tony. He said he really needed to talk to me. That was the reason he called me."
"Good thinking on your feet."
"Yeah I had to, man this shit is serious. Tony killed a federal informant and that's never good."
Jada said, "Why did you pay him to do this? This is bad. Real bad." She placed her phone back in her purse.
Shamari clutched a pillow and sighed. Then he stood, tossed the pillow back on the sectional and paced across the room before finally making eye contact with Jada. "You know Jada, This is something I never wanted to do. I never wanted to murder anybody or have anybody murdered, but the fact is people always betray me." He took a seat back on the sectional and said, "I did so much for that dude. I sent his son to private school. Paid for Don's mom's breast reconstruction after she had her breast removed and this is the thanks I get?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Don betrayed me."
"You don't know that."
"I've been in this business long enough to know when something is not quite right. And something is not right, was not right with that dude, talking about how he didn't want to go to jail. Talking all this Christian bullshit." Shamari paused and said, "Well goddamn it, I don't want to go to jail either."
Jada said, "But now you've made things worse, baby. Things are worse than before. You realize that don't you?"
"I hate betrayal, I know I might go to jail for a long time. That's a fact but at least I can live with what I did. I did what I was supposed to do and that was to honor the game."
"The game? This is not a game, this is real life."
"I know it's real life, and if somebody trying to take my life, I have to do what I have to do."
Jada stood. "I have to charge my phone up." She eased toward the bedroom.
"Jada."
"Huh?"
"Don't ever betray me."
Chapter 5
Starr opened the door when she heard the loud knock. She thought it was room service but it was Trey. She attempted to close the door but he wedged his foot in the door preventing that from happening. "Can I get five minutes of your time Starr?"
"You need to leave. I'm gonna have the front desk call security."
"Three 3 minutes."
She attempted to push the door, but Trey was too strong.
"One 1 minute."
She moved away from the door, and once he was inside, he said, "How you been?"
"Trey, say what you gotta say. I ain't got time for this bullshit."
"Look, babe, I just came to apologize."
"You've already done that."
"You didn't accept."
She flopped on the bed and as he was about to take a seat next to her when she said, "Don't get comfortable in here. You are about to leave."
He smiled and at that moment she realized how much she missed her man.
Trey said, "Look, babe, I miss you and I want you to come home."
She didn't say anything. She'd grabbed the remote control beside the dresser and powered on the TV. Real Housewives of Atlanta was showing.
Room service came and Starr signed for the club sandwich, potato chips and diet coke then tipped the attendant 5 dollars. She returned back to the bed with the tray in hand.
He said, "I fucked up big time. I know I did, but I'm here to make it right." He grabbed a chip from her plate.
She said, "How you gonna make this right, Trey? There is a goddamned kid and a baby mama. How the fuck am I supposed to deal with that?"
"So you've never made a mistake?"
"Trey, I've always been faithful to you." She took a swig of her diet coke then bit into her sandwich.
Trey took a deep breath and said, "I try not to bring up the fact that you slept with O. G."
"I never slept with that man," Starr lied. She had slept with him a couple of times, when Trey was running the streets trying to make money and not giving her the attention she felt she deserved. O. G. was an older dude who had money, and he'd taken her shopping a couple of times. One of Trey's homies saw them out together and reported it back to Trey. Starr denied it, but Trey said his intuition told him something wasn't quite right. Starr never admitted to it because she didn't want to lose Trey.
"Look, Starr, you slept with O. G."
Starr said, "Okay, if I slept with him, what the fuck does that have to do with what's going on with you?"
He grabbed her hand. "Babe, nobody is perfect. Nobody."
"Trey, you hid a child from me for years. Why didn't you just tell me?"
Trey massaged Starr's hand and said, "Look I didn't want to lose the best thing I ever had. You complete me babe. When I'm with you, I don't see them other bitches, I only see you. We fit. It is just right and I like that. I know I'm not a perfect man, but I'm perfect for you."
Her pussy was getting moist. She'd never seen Trey being this sincere. She'd missed him so much. She missed his dick. She had to remind herself that she was mad at him.
"Listen, babe, my son is five years old, but I swear to you it's been only you for the last three years."
"Three years? What the hell?"
Trey said, "Well I'm being honest because I don't want to lose you."
"Trey you got more kids out there?"
"No, but I've fucked other chicks." He stood from the bed. "I'm just keeping it real."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Cuz I don't want to lose you, and I felt so damn bad hiding T. J. from you. I don't want nothing to come up like this again."
"Are you saying you ain't gonna cheat?"
Trey said, "Like I said earlier, ain't nobody perfect, but I can promise you I'm gonna try my damn best not to go down that road again."
"So you don't know?"
"I haven't slept with nobody but you for the last three years and that's a fact."
She said, "Trey, I don't know about this man, I really don't."
Trey said, "What can I do to make it up to you? You name it, I'll buy it. I just want you home. What about that handbag I saw you looking at in Phipps Plaza? Oor thate watch that you asked me for? I'll go get all of that today. Just come home."
"Trey, you know I couldn't let you spend that kind of money on me. You know I'm not like that. I like nice things, yeah, but they don't define me. And I can't be bought; I'm not some low life ass gold-digger."
Trey said, "I know that, and that's what I love about you. You're one of the realest people I've ever met;. Rrealer than most dudes in my circle."
She smiled, he was so sincere and so damn cute when he begged. He reminded her of a little boy, wanting something from his mother.
He said, "I swear to you, babe, I will not fuck up again."
"Trey, just give me a day or two to gather my thoughts."
Trey dropped to one knee and pulled a box out of his pocket. "Will you marry me?"
She covered her mouth. "Oh my God, Trey!"
"Open the box."
She said, "I don't want to."
"Please open the box; you don't have to accept, but hell you can at least look at the ring."
She opened the box and placed the sparkling six carat platinum diamond ring on her finger."
"You remembered my ring si
ze?"
"Come on, I know everything about you. Of course I remembered your ring size."
Starr said, "Trey, how much did this damn thing cost?"
"Don't worry about it?"
Starr said, "I know this ring is overpriced."
Trey said, "Keep the ring, babe. Don't worry about the cost of the ring, . can't put a price on love."
She stood and walked then looked in the mirror, glancing at the ring on her finger. "Damn this thing is amazing. I will get robbed for this."
She smiled again and then he smiled. He knew he was breaking her down. She said, "Trey, how much was this ring?" She removed it.
Trey said, "Eighty stacks."
Starr said, "Ain't no way in the hell I'm keeping this ring." She passed it back to him.
"You don't want it?"
"I can't be bought Trey. You know that about me and that's just too damn much for that ring, I would never wear something like that."
"Is it about the price?"
"No, it's about the motive. I mean were you really going to propose if you didn't fuck up?"
"Huh? You know we've talked about marriage and a family."
"I know we been talking about that shit for years. But it took you this long to make a move."
"Look, I'd been eyeing this ring for the last few weeks. You can ask Jesus, the gay dude in the jewelry store on Sixth Avenue."
Starr knew Jesus very well. Every time they'd visited New York she would buy little things from Jesus, but never anything amounting to over a couple of thousand dollars. She thought about phoning Jesus to verify Trey's story, but she believed him or at least she wanted to believe him. What girl didn't want to get married?
Trey attempted to pass her the ring back. She refused it and said, "And another thing, we're going to have to stop acting like hustlers. I hate that shit. I mean nobody that I know can afford an eighty thousand dollar ring except hustlers. I don't like living like this Trey."
"I know, babe, but just bear with me, I'm going to go legit, I promise."
"I hope so cuz there is no way I'm marrying a drug dealer. I'm getting too old for this shit."
Trey smiled, "So you accept?"
"No, I didn't say all of that." She finished the rest of the chips, leaving a half-eaten club sandwich. She placed the tray outside the door.
Trey rose from the bed and embraced her and held her for a long time. Her heart beat next to his. She was where she belonged in the arms of her man. She'd missed him so damn much.
He released her from his grip and asked, "So when are you coming home?"
"I didn't say I was coming home."
"Look, Starr, I apologize that I have a kid. I apologize that I had the affair."
"Affair? I'm not your wife."
"You're my wife, we just don't have the papers yet, but you're my wife."
She smiled.
Trey continued, "I even apologize that I'm a drug dealer, at this point in my life it's embarrassing, but one thing that's going to be hard to find out there is a real nigga, you might even find somebody with more money, but are you gonna find somebody more real?"
Starr said, "And I'm a real bitch."
Trey said, "I know, why do you think I'm fighting so hard? I need you to come back where you belong."
She opened the door and he stepped out into the hallway, still staring at her. His eyes on her breasts and her hips. He was more attracted to her now than the day they met. He was attracted to her soul.
He gave her a quick peck on the lips.
Starr said, "My ring budget is ten thousand and that's a lot."
He laughed, "Always the frugal one."
"No, I love nice things."
"Me too that's why I love you." He turned to walk away and she watched him as he got onto the elevator.
She closed the door and cried. Damn she wanted to go back home, but she wasn't quite over his betrayal. She called room service and ordered some more chips. She was stressed and junk food or sex was the only thing that was going to ease her mind and since her dick had gone, the potato chips would have to do.
Chapter 6
The lunch crowd had thinned at Houston's in Buckhead. Black and Kyrie and a man named Rodriguez sat in the back of the restaurant in a booth. Kyrie and Rodriguez shared some nachos and Black nursed a grey goose and coke. Rodriguez was a tall man with an extra long face and thick eyebrows. Black sipped the vodka and said to Rodriguez, "So you know this dude?"
"Yeah I know him, but we're not like friends or nothing you know."
Black said, "How do know him?" Black asked
Rodriguez said, "Wait a minute, why you wanna know all this?" Rodriguez asked.
Kyrie said, "Answer the motherfuckin' question." Kyrie said.
Rodriguez said, "Well there is a guy named E that live off Bankhead that sells weed, I sometimes cop from E." Rodriguez said.
Black said, "Wait a minute do you know E or Chris?" Black said.
Kyrie was chomping hard on those nachos dipping them in the salsa. He'd eaten about six when Black looked at him annoyed as hell.
Sensing Black was irritated he stopped and repeated what Black had just asked. "Do you know E or Chris?"
"I know both of them."
"So, E let you meet his connect?"
"Well I saw Chris one day at the gas station up the road from E's house and he gave me his number, and since I knew Chris was the source of the weed I figured he would give me a better ticket you know?" Rodriguez said. He scooped two chips up and ate them.
"So you do business with him?'
Rodriguez said, "What the fuck is this about? Do he owe you money or something?." Rodriguez asked.
Kyrie said, "No he don't owe us shit but you do motherfucker." Rodriguez was indebted to Black and Kyrie for some coke he'd been fronted years ago. Black would have normally had him fucked up but he'd not gotten around to it.
Rodriguez said, "Im'ma pay you, dude. As a matter of fact, I can give you a couple of thousand dollars today." Rodriguez said.
Black said, "No you're going to call your friend Chris and tell him you need a hundred pounds." Black said.
Rodriguez said,
"Ok, give me the money. I think I can get it for around eight hundred a pound." Rodriguez said.
Black laughed and said,nd said, "Eight hundred dollars? I ain't paying no goddamned eight hundred dollars for shit. You understand me?"
"It's mid, man, this ain't no Reggie Miller. Homie, this is some good shit, nice green color, very little sticks in. It's straight fire. One thing I can say about this nigga is he keeps that good."
Black was irritated by Rodriguez singing Chris's praise, because not only was this motherfucker fucking his woman, it was clear to Black that he was really making money.
"What you wanna pay, I'll run it by him?" Rodriguez took a swig of water, then pulled out his iPhone scrolling through his address book looking for Chris's number.
Black said, "I ain't paying shit. You're going to call him and ask him for the hundred pounds and we're gonna take them from his punk ass." Black finished off his vodka and stared at Rodriguez-his black face forming the backdrop for pinkish eyes-intimidating Rodriguez.
"Come on, man, he ain't gonna ever believe no shit like that. The most I've ever gotten was twenty pounds."
"Call him."
"He doesn't talk on phones. I will text him."
Rodriguez texted Chris: Yo' I need ten dime bitches for my partna's bachelor party. The code his was code 10 X 10 pounds of weed.for a hundred pounds of weed.
Chris hit back: You ain't never wanted that many girls.
Rodriguez texted: Yeah I got a lot of people coming from South Carolina.
Chris: Okay will call you in a couple of hours to tell you where to meet me.
Rodriguez: Cool.
Black gave Kyrie a pound.
*******
"Where are you going?" Shamari asked.
"Microdermabrasion appointment."
&n
bsp; "Micro-what?"
"Making my skin smooth" she said. She didn't feel like giving him a lengthy explanation about the procedure.
"How much you spending on that?"
Jada was startled that he asked her; he'd never asked her about money before.
Shamari said, "I'm just saying do you really need that shit? I mean you're turning into a surgery addict. You on that old Nikki Minaj shit. It's a waste of money." He said, "Well except for ..."
"The ass. You like the ass, but what about what I want? and mMicrodermabrasion is not a surgery."
"I mean facial, manis, pedis, you've had your boobs done. Not gonna count the ass, that one was my idea."
"So you gotta problem with what I wanna do now?"
"No, babe. I just gotta call from an attorney Tony hired. The guy said that Tony told him that I was going to pay him to represent him."
"How much is that going to cost."
"The retainer is $75,000, said it was so high because it was a possible capital murder case."
"Damn."
"I know right. Shit keeps getting worse and $75,000 is just the retainer; it's gonna probably end up costing twice as much."
"I gotta voucher for the microdermabrasion. The doctor gave it to me the last time I was at the office."
"He did?"
"Yeah, they like me over there."
"Well they should, all the goddamned money we have given them," he said.
"What's up with all the money comments? Are we getting low on money?"
Shamari said, "I'm just saying we've paid them a lot over the years, that's all."
"But you never answered the question."
He said, "Look, I've got something in the works."
She said, "But the money is low, right?"
"He said," Yeah, it's getting a little low."
She said, "Am I gonna have to get a job?"
She annoyed him when she said things like that. He never wanted her money, but he'd never wanted her to be unemployed for a number of reasons. He knew that if he was ever unable to help himself, there was nothing she could do about it since she had no income.
"Hey I'm just saying you're an adult, and this shit is not gonna last forever."
Chapter 7
Jessica stood on the porch when Trey opened the door. "What the fuck are you doing here?"